


Pack

by Not_You



Category: The Avengers (2012), The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dogs, Animal Abuse, Fluff and Angst, Other, intersexed character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-10 23:17:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/791320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_You/pseuds/Not_You
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU where the Avengers are all drug dogs owned by Phil.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Loki is disgusted. He didn't precisely care for the Chitauri. He did what they told him to and got fed, but there was none of that boundless love dogs are supposed to have. When he fights being put into a crate, it's only fear of the unknown and irritation at being inconvenienced. Once it's obviously hopeless, he huffs a sigh and looks at the others, all sitting free. Most of them are even mongrels, and he curls his lip in disgust. The one the man had called 'Hawkeye' looks like a lurcher, some misbegotten mix of heavy-shouldered terriers and lean sighthounds, with those absurd button ears that are half up and half down at all times. He's an unobtrusive mouse-colored brindle, which looks duller than ever beside his companion's red coat. She's no real breed either, but at least has some elegance of line, probably mostly Borzoi and Saluki. She bears the unlikely name of Widow.

The behemoth next to them is appropriately called Hulk, and might have some Mastiff a long way back but no more recent noble ancestry. There's a disconcerting smell to him that makes Loki growl, wondering if he's part wolf. Beyond him is the dog called "Cap", such a ridiculous name. He's a Labradoodle, a ghastly portmanteu of a creature, and Loki sneers. Closest to him are the only two purebreds in the whole miserable pack, one a slinking little Afghan and the other a huge, brainless (and beautiful, he must admit) Golden Retriever. Their names are apparently Steel and Thor, respectively. Thor beams at him and wags his tail.

"I'm so glad you'll be staying with us!"

"Why, you fool?"

He deflates a little, but is still wagging. "'Cause you're beautiful and fun to fight with." He's still bleeding from one ear where Loki bit him, but lets his tongue loll foolishly.

"Dog above, Thor. Try not to piss yourself." Steel is sniffing at the latch on Loki's kennel. "You know how to undo these things?"

"...No," he finally has to admit, and snarls and lunges as best he can when Steel laughs at him, curled tail waving.

"I might teach you sometime."

Loki just snorts, and doesn't say anything for the rest of the trip, even if he can't help lifting his head and scenting the air as they leave the city. He's never really been out here, and everything smells so clean and interesting. Thor is wagging, like a complete idiot, and even Hulk's tongue is hanging out of his mouth, everyone panting happily. Up front their master chuckles.

"Yeah guys, we're almost home."

Home turns out to have quite a bit of acreage out back, and before they do anything else, they go for a walk around the perimeter. Loki has never experienced anything like this, and can't keep himself from getting lost in all the smells, and the strange feeling of kinship for this human beside them. He's the only one leashed, which would ordinarily irk him more, but he is an unknown quantity, and the human is very decent, letting him investigate things and not yanking him along. The others are all playing together, even Widow, aloof and graceful, when Hulk suddenly looks up from a game with Steel and runs off, much faster than Loki would have supposed him capable of. The human sighs, but doesn't yell or run after him. They just catch up to him, where he's on his belly by the fence, big ugly snout poked through it to sniff a sweet little whippet with a deep chocolate coat. She's practically wagging her whole body, so happy to see Hulk. He's similarly ecstatic, whimpering like a puppy as she licks his face.

"You smell like work. Did it go okay? Was anyone hurt?"

"No. Thor got chewed on a little, but you know Thor."

"And you weren't a bad dog?"

He cringes a little at even having it brought up. "That didn't happen."

"I'm so proud of you." She licks his face again and he almost dies of ecstasy, grinning and wagging as she looks up to greet the others. "Cap! Hi!" They all come to the fence to wag and sniff at the whippet. Loki just growls, startled by a light jerk at the leash.

"No," the man tells him. "None of that, Loki." And it's so stupid, but he almost wants to listen. He starts to growl again, and there's another little tug. Not a cruel yank, just enough to distract him. He looks up at the man and feels his docked tail wagging at the affection that rolls off of him in waves. "That's better. That's a good dog." He scratches Loki behind his cropped ears. 

The others all gambol around and snuffle at the whippet until a harsh voice suddenly calls, "Bitsy!" Loki can smell the man's hate, and turns an ear toward the voice, wondering who its owner is. Bitsy the whippet bounds away, turning once to look back at Hulk before disappearing into the distance.

"I still say we oughta sneak in when the place is empty and shit on everything," Steel mutters, climbing up the fence for a better view, creepily agile, strange tail curled up tight.

Hawk snorts. "They'd know it was us, genius."

Hulk just whines miserably, giant head still half through the fence. Steel hops down and nuzzles him. "It'll be okay, Hulk. We'll think of something."

Cap just sighs, and Widow leaves an extra scent mark to cheer Bitsy up the next time she comes by and then runs ahead without a word, reddish coat flowing. Hawk looks more ridiculous than ever running with her, but he does keep up better than Loki was expecting. He whines, because he wants to run too. He almost never gets to, and he quivers all over as the others bolt off, his stupid suitor included. The man stops, and looks down at him. "Sit."

This is entirely counterproductive and stupid, but Loki sits, ears pricked. Hopefully this is all about proving that he can follow basic commands. The man doesn't smell like hate anymore, he smells friendly again. "Stay," he says, and Loki doesn't move a muscle as he unhooks the leash. "All right. Good boy." He waves ahead, and Loki barks and goes barreling off feeling like he can never resent anything again. He streaks over the grass and then rolls in it and then Thor is on him, tumbling him over and over, wagging and grinning. Cap laughs. "Let him breathe, Thor!"

And now Loki can tell that despite being a designer mongrel, Cap is their leader. He had seemed to be back at the Chitauri's warehouse, but it had been hard to tell in the heat of things. Now Loki snarls at him, because he's not going under the headship of a damned labradoodle.

Thor whines like a puppy, licking Loki's face. "Be nice."

"I'll fight you if I have to," Cap adds, "But I don't want to."

And that should be the stupidest thing. Loki knows he could take him, but as Cap glares at him, stern but not cruel, tail and ears up but teeth still veiled, he finds that he doesn't want to. He cringes in confusion, flattening his ears as his docked tail struggles to wrap between his legs. The others all gather around him, and before he knows it he's on his back, letting all them sniff him. It's scary and humiliating, but after a minute he realizes that none of them actually want to hurt him.

"Come on, dog. Relax." Hawk is snuffling under his tail with the usual rapt concentration of the uninitiated. "You smell weird. Not plastic weird, good weird."

"I'm glad to meet with your approval," he growls, and Hawk nips his leg, not hard enough to hurt.

"Hush. Now we know why you're so bitchy." He whines apologetically, cringing as Widow nips his ear. Loki laughs.

"Least you're not in season, with these lunkheads around." Steel is sniffing at his neck. "Seriously, you'll be all right."

"Better than all right, if you're willing," Cap says, nudging Loki to roll onto his belly again. Thor is beaming, tongue hanging out of his mouth as his feathered tail waves. "We've got a good human and a useful job, and that's more than a lot of dogs can say."


	2. Chapter 2

Loki capitulates and joins this little mongrel pack, but he's reluctant to learn their work. He's a guard dog, there's no point in playing with oddly-scented toys and then finding other things that smell strange. It isn't until the man sighs and pats Loki's head and says "Oh well, not everyone can be talented," in that sad, falling tone that he decides to apply himself. He's not stupid, and if this is going to be his job now, he's going to do it. He learns all the strange scents and plays with the toys when he finds them because he might as well. Soon he's working with the rest of the team, and Steel teaches him to open kennel latches. Cap disapproves, of course, but there's not much he can do about it. Widow teaches him more about fighting, and Thor always wants to play with him. Thor may be an idiot, but he's a beautiful idiot and fun to play with, too.

Loki goes into season not long after. He does so more quietly than a real bitch, but still wakes up from a nap to find Thor sniffing him. It's early yet, so Loki growls at him. Thor just pants, tongue lolling out in a conciliatory smile as he wags that big feathered tail that always lets everyone know what he's thinking.

"Hah, you make me glad to be clipped," Hawk says, watching them.

"Like you don't hump Widow," Steel says, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, and it ain't like Cap doesn't hump you, I still just can't think with my balls anymore."

"Then why does Thor still have his?" Loki asks, because they all know Thor does, just as Loki still does.

"Because he likes to show, the big weirdo," Steel says. "Mine are off too, and good damn riddance. I hate dog shows. So boring."

"If I want to keep mine, should I pretend to be interested?"

"That might work, though I don't know if a whitecoat _could_ clip you, weird dogbitch that you are."

Loki sits up proudly. "I'm special."

"You are," Thor agrees, wagging and licking him again.

Loki floats closer and closer to true heat, and is nearly there when everything goes horribly wrong. Their master is away when the thunderstorm comes, and while Thor isn't afraid at all, Hulk hates storms, and howls and howls and scratches at the door trying to run away. He shouldn't be able to get out, but he's so fucking strong the door doesn't hold. There's a crucial second of disbelief, and Hulk runs off, wild with terror.

All of them have collars and microchips. Someone will bring Hulk back. They tell themselves that, but are still lying in a mournful heap by the broken door when their master gets home. "Shit," he says, and they all whine and wag, so sorry they weren't fast enough to keep Hulk at home. Hawk goes and nudges under the man's hand, taking comfort when their master pets him. "I'm not angry with you," he says soothingly, and gets some boards for the door and goes looking for Hulk. 

Hulk is still terrified when the thunder stops, and isn't sure where he is. It looks a bit like Bitsy's territory, but her scent-markings have been washed out by the rain. He whines and snuffles around, hoping he can find his way home. Remembering the door he whines again, hoping his master won't be angry. And then a man is coming toward him, and Hulk wags hopefully. Once he was lost and a man found him and called his master to come get him. Hulk was younger then, and had run all the way to another town. This time he can feel that he's closer, and wags in relief until he catches the scent. This is the man his master hates, and Hulk whines as he grabs his collar.

"Well, well, well," is all he says, but Hulk knows it means nothing good.

Phil looks for Hulk for hours, but finally has to trudge home alone. The other dogs whine and wag when they see him, and swarm around him hopefully.

"Sorry guys," Phil says, and starts stripping off his wet clothes to go to bed. The dogs whimper, and curl into the same miserable pile on the biggest dog bed as Phil struggles to sleep, hoping his poor sweet lost monster has been found by someone kind.

Miles away in a tiny concrete kennel, Hulk cries like a puppy. This place smells of pain, fear, and death. He wishes he knew what to do. He could have gotten away from the man, but that would be being a bad dog, wouldn't it? He whimpers and neurotically licks his paws the way he did locked in his first master's shed. He was always a bad dog then, and hopes that isn't true now. There are other crying dogs here, and everyone smells sick. Hulk tries not to howl and fails.

It's nearly dawn when scratching at the boards wakes Widow. She slinks out of the pile and over to the hole, hoping Hulk is back and startled to see and smell Bitsy.

"Widow, you have to help me!"

"What's wrong?"

"My master knows where Hulk is and hasn't told your master." She whines and cringes, not wanting to believe that her master is a bad man but faced with it now. Widow growls, and goes to wake the others. All of them batter at the boards until they can escape, and they follow Bitsy into the grass, sniffing everywhere for their friend. Hawk finds his trail first, and quietly barks, the others coming to join him.

They track Hulk for miles, and lose him at one edge of Bitsy's territory, the smell of a car and a man predominating. Bitsy whines in misery, but the car doesn't go far. They're able to follow the stench of it a few hundred yards down the road and then up a long driveway where only one car has passed today. It stinks here, of fear and wounds and death. It stinks worse than a whitecoat's office, and there's no way in, just chainlink and concrete. Bitsy howls for Hulk and he answers, sounding lonely and afraid. Knowing he's in there makes all of them crazy for a moment, and it's Steel who points out that they should go and get their master, that he'll know what to do.

It's a long run back, and Widow and Steel are the fastest. They streak ahead, stop to pant and then lunge forward again. It's full morning when Widow reaches home, Steel straggling a bit behind her, the others a quarter mile back. She slinks through the hole and finds her master talking into the instrument that seems to let him talk to his master even when his master isn't there.

"Yes, Nick, all of them! I have no idea where—hang on." He holds out his hand to Widow when he sees her, and she licks it frantically before gently gripping his sleeve in her teeth and tugging him forward. "I'll call you back," he says to his not-there master, and Widow has his full attention. She leads him out and into Steel's happy greeting, because bad as it is that Hulk isn't with them, their master is here and he'll make everything all right.

"All right, guys, where are the rest of you?"

Steel whines and catches his master's other sleeve, and they both tug him forward. "Okay, okay, I'll follow you," he says, and does. Soon enough they meet the others, and all of them lead the way back to where Bitsy is waiting for them. At the sight of their master she runs up and licks his hand, whining and wagging as she begs him to help. "All right, I'm here, now what? What the hell is this?"

Bitsy howls, and Hulk answers.


	3. Chapter 3

"Yes, Nick, I can hear him. Get some people out here, this is either a puppy mill or a dogfighting ring." Phil sighs, distractedly petting poor distraught Bitsy with his free hand, his own dogs gathered around in a protective huddle. The wait seems to take forever, but finally some uniforms arrive and they're able to break in and see the horror. Most of the dogs are pitbulls or pit mixes, and almost all of them are covered in injuries from fights. Phil runs from kennel to kennel, frantic until he finds Hulk. The poor thing is hiding as best he can in a tiny box full of terrified piss, and whimpers like a puppy at the sight of Phil. It turns his stomach to see Hulk of all his dogs here. "I'm so sorry, boy," he says, letting him out, "I meant for this to never happen again." Hulk just whines and wags his tail, pushing his broad head into Phil's thigh. Bitsy yips and does the same to Hulk's flank, nuzzling him before licking his face and making him wag faster.

It feels like forever before they can go home again, and since General Ross has been arrested, Phil offers to foster Bitsy for the duration. She whines and cries to see her master taken away, but is glad to go home with Hulk, sticking close to comfort him the whole way. It's a long walk for a human, and their master is very tired by the time they finally get home. He still feeds them all, since they haven't had a meal all day, and sighs, fixing himself a sandwich and giving everyone a treat of lunchmeat. Hulk is pathetically grateful, still sure that he's been a bad dog in some way. Their master senses this, and pets Hulk and croons to him that he's a good boy until he calms down. Bitsy helps, and the two of them curl up together for a nap after eating, and Thor smiles and wags.

"I'm glad we have Bitsy. Hulk needs her."

"I suppose so," Loki murmurs, already distracted. His time is getting closer than ever, and Thor knows it too, following him around all night and getting nipped for his trouble because close doesn't mean it's here. He doesn't seem to mind, though, and just wags his tail, tongue lolling out.

A few days later, Loki is barely hanging onto his reservations. He still doesn't acknowledge Thor as dominant, and is pretty sure he'd have to if Thor was going to breed him. It's a war between heat and pride that's finally resolved when Thor squirms on his back, licking at Loki's mouth like a puppy.

"Please may I breed you? Our master breeds his master all the time and they never get confused."

This is true. Since joining the pack, Loki has seen his master's master many times, and the two of them always seem to end up going into their master's room and making human mating noises. So Loki leads Thor off to a more quiet spot, and after a bit of poor aim and fooling about they manage to tie. Loki knows his tongue is lolling out like an idiot, but he can't help it.

When they get back the others all know, of course, and everyone is happy for them. Thor snuggles and licks Loki, but in an appealing, submissive way that Loki finds he rather likes. Their master just blinks when he sees them, muttering, "And here I thought it was unrequited," before going to make breakfast.

Their master is much more surprised to find that Loki is pregnant, but humans are noseblind and Loki puts up with being poked and prodded by a whitecoat with all the noblesse oblige he can muster. At last he is pronounced healthy and capable of carrying and feeding Thor's litter, something Loki knew full well from the beginning. For his part, Thor is obnoxiously pleased with himself, but takes dotingly good care of Loki as he gets heavier and heavier, full of pups. His master helps him whelp, and soon he's settled in a comfortable bed with his tiny black and tan and gold pups, all six nursing hungrily.


End file.
